Exercise isn’t just about improving fitness, performing better or getting a toned physique – regular physical activity is one of the most effective ways to improve your cardiovascular health, but it’s not just high-intensity intervals and sweat sessions at the gym that deliver benefits.
Research shows that even small changes in your daily activity levels – as little as 1,000 steps1 – can have a big impact on your cardiovascular systemhelping:
- Strengthen your heart
- Improve blood flow
- Reduce risk factors such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes
Adding the right types of exercise to this regular activity will help maximize health benefits by improving overall cardiac function and efficiency.
READ MORE | Sweat more for better health
Why heart health matters
A strong and healthy heart is vital to longevity and overall quality of lifeespecially as you get older.
This powerful organ is responsible for circulating blood throughout your body to nourish your brain, organs and muscles with vital oxygen and nutrients and to carry important biological compounds such as hormones and immune cells.
Strengthening the strong walls of your heart with regular activity and exercise also creates a stronger, more efficient pump that pushes larger volumes of blood around your body with each beat.
This means that a stronger heart requires fewer beats per minute to meet our daily demands (which is why fitter people have lower heart rates at rest and during exercise).
READ MORE | How exercise improves mental health
The first step to heart health
Studies confirm this Improving your heart health can be as simple as walking every day. Large, long-term studies2you consistently prove that walking is one of the most effective ways to protect your heart and prevent disease.
Whether you’re young or old, healthy or recovering from an illness, regular walking improves key health indicators like blood pressure and cholesterol.
A study1 was published on European Journal of Preventive Cardiology found that compared to a daily step count of 2,300 steps, each additional 1,000 steps was associated with a 17% reduction in the risk of a major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE), up to 10,000 steps.
Additional steps over 10,000 were associated with a 22% reduction in heart failure, a 9% reduction in the risk of heart attack, and a 24% reduction in the risk of stroke. Based on the findings, the researchers concluded that any physical activity is beneficial, and the faster you walk, the better.
Therefore, it may be beneficial to perform low-intensity activities more often. This could include, for example, going for walks during your lunch break, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, or parking at the far end of the parking lot when you go shopping.
For substantial longevity benefits, a study published in British Journal of Sports Medicine 3 found that those who walked more (about 160 minutes/day) had up to 11 years longer life expectancy than those who were less active.
READ MORE | Science-backed information for a fitter, healthier you
Give your heart a workout
Adding regular cardio to the mixsuch as running, cycling, skipping, walking, rowing or swimming further improve your heart health by strengthening your cardiovascular and respiratory systems.
Weight training can also benefit your heart and cardiovascular system. In a meta-analysis published in 20224researchers found that strength-based exercise, such as weightlifting or resistance training, is associated with a lower risk of death and serious chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease.
On exercise, a study5 conducted at the University of Oxford found that there is no upper limit to the benefits of exercise for improving your heart health. The researchers said that any exercise, no matter how intense or for how long, can help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
More intense or longer exercise benefits your heart by strengthening the strong walls of your heart, which are made up of heart muscle called the myocardium.
This response to regular exercise creates a stronger, more efficient pumpmeaning our heart can push larger volumes of blood around our body with each beat. This improves circulation, delivering more oxygen and nutrients to muscles and organs.
Regular exercise can:
- Lower blood pressure and resting heart rate
- Improving cholesterol profiles (higher HDL, lower LDL)
- Help control body weight and blood sugar
- Lower risk of heart attack and stroke
- Improve longevity
Make your move!
What is clear from all the research on cardiovascular health is that your heart thrives on movement. Whether it’s brisk walking, cycling, running, swimming laps or high-intensity bursts, every heartbeat counts.
Start where you are, aiming for at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise per week, including a combination of aerobic activity and strength training for comprehensive benefits.
Stay consistent and your heart will thank you with better health, stamina and more years of life to enjoy.
References:
- Sonia WM Cheng et al. Prospective associations of daily step count and step intensity with general and type-specific major adverse cardiovascular events in hypertensive subjects. European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, doi:10.1093/eurjpc/zwaf441.
- Murtagh EM, Murphy MH, Boone-Heinonen J. Walking: the first steps in preventing cardiovascular disease. Curr Opin Cardiol. 2010 Sep;25(5):490-6. doi: 10.1097/HCO.0b013e32833ce972. PMID: 20625280; PMCID: PMC3098122.
- Veerman L, Tarp J, Wijaya Ret al. Physical activity and life expectancy: a life table analysis. British Journal of Sports Medicine 2025? 59:333-338.
- Momma H, Kawakami R, Honda T, et al. Muscle-strengthening activities are associated with lower risk and mortality of major non-communicable diseases: a systematic review and meta-analysis of British Journal of Sports Medicine cohort studies. 2022, 56:755-763.
- Ramakrishnan R, Doherty A, Smith-Byrne K, Rahimi K, Bennett D, et al. Accelerometer measured physical activity and incidence of cardiovascular disease: Evidence from the UK Biobank cohort study. PLoS Medicine. January 2021. 18(9): e1003809. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1003809.
Author: Pedro van Gaalen
When he’s not writing about sports or health and fitness, Pedro is most likely out training for his next marathon or ultramarathon. She has worked as a fitness professional and as a marketing and comms specialist. He now combines his passions in his role as managing editor at Fitness magazine.
